GINGER SNAPS:COLLECTORS EDITION (CANADIAN)
PLOT-A pair of death-obsessed sisters must confront the real thing when one of them is attacked by a werewolf and begins to change.
VIOLENCE-Lots of blood and guts for all you gore fanatics. Throats are cut, bones are broken, bodies are ripped to pieces, there's stabbing, and eating...you get the idea. I should point out, though, anyone who is sensitive to the sight of animals (particularly dogs) being killed might need to do a lot of fast-forwarding when viewing this film.
SEX/NUDITY-Although sexuality is a theme in the movie, and its main characters are teenage females, there isn't any nudity or sex shown. It plays like a twisted after-school special.
WHY I LIKED IT-This movie is great for many, many reasons. But foremost, it's simply one of the best horror films of the last 10 years. Moreover, it is the best werewolf movie since AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (which is in my top 10 of all time). These days, your typical horror movie focuses on a bunch of teenagers, and you can pretty much guess what the film will be like. If you're lucky, you get a few jump scares, and occasionally something gross or violent. With that in mind, GINGER SNAPS was not only a welcome change, but an absolutely brilliant film. The premise is treated differently from what we're used to seeing, the female characters are the best and most interesting, nothing happens the way you'd expect, the special effects are great, and oh yeah...the movie is actually SCARY. The actors are highly effective, the tone of the film is serious (but they do weave in a bit of dark humor at times), and I was even surprised at the ending. I think it's a crime that GINGER SNAPS didn't get much of a release, especially since so much crap is shoveled ou t there for the masses. I hereby award it my highest recommendation, and instead of getting into detail about the film itself, I'm instead going to urge you to go and watch it right now.
DOWNSIDE-As noted in the "violence" section above, there are several scenes where mutilated dogs are shown. And even more canine deaths are implied in the film. Call me sensitive, but this type of thing really puts me off. Perhaps that was the idea, but even though I understand it was necessary to the plot, I still think these scenes were excessive. I have no problem seeing heads ripped off, guts eaten, or someone eating puke. But when it comes to dogs, I can't stand it when they are harmed in any way, especially in a movie.
MEMORABLE SCENES-The climax of this movie will really grip you, it's pretty intense and well done. I've seen a gazillion horror films, and rarely do I get so involved that I'm actually lost in the suspense. Just watch it and see, try to keep the lights off if you can.
NOTES-This movie is Canadian-made and was released on video & DVD in the states by a small, unknown company. The U.S. disc only contains the trailer. Fortunately, there is a Collectors Edition available in Canada (released by Columbia Tristar) that contains a ton of extras. Fans of this film can purchase this disc by going to www.dv-depot.com, a steal at just $22. Extras include 2 commentary tracks, 25 minutes of deleted scenes, autition & rehearsal footage, making-of and special fx features, a still gallery of the girls' "death slideshow", and a couple awesome easter eggs. Special thanks to my good friend Tanya in Ontario for getting this for me!!!